Locking device for automobiles.



f. KIMBL/E. LOCKING DEVVICE'FOP. AUTOMOBILES.

vvAPPLICNLICLI -FILED' JUNE 2B; 1918.

Patented Apr. l5, 19M).

'TTORNEY.

UNITED srArns FRANK KIMBLE, F FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NEWELL H.

RANSOM, 0F FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

"Application med June as, 191s.

.and effective lock permanently attached to the automobile by which the driver can quickly and easily'lock the machine so, as to prevent its Vbeing readily driven away 'by any-person not having -the, properkey to unlock it, and which lock can be readily ".lirown out of action with the mmnnum of reffort by the possessor of the proper key.

- t' The-invention is' illustrated in the accom- 2.0 panylng drawings 1n .which the same refer- 2'5? of the device, and Fig. 3 a side elevational view of the same partly in section.

g'be' xed on the supporting sleeve 3 containing the shaft 4 of the steering wheel The other member 6 of the clamp is adapted to'engagethe opposite sideof the sleeve 35 ence characters designate like parts in all the figures, and 1n which drawings-- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the device applied tov the-steering wheel of an automobile; Fig. 2 a front elevational View Referring to the drawings the device con- -sists' of a support l carried by or integral with one member 2 of a clamp adapted to and to be secured to member 2 by screws or rivets 7 engaged in apertures 8 in lateral lugs 9 on the members. A bolt ,10 having areaded engagement with member 6 is .tightened against sleeve 8 and secures the clamp to the sleeve. The heads of the screws land the bolt, after installed, are cut off so as to prevent their withdrawal by an unauthorized person, as shown in Fig. 1.

A pivot 11 is revolubly mounted in support 1 and projects laterally from .opposite sides thereof, and upon the projecting ends of the pivot is secured the bifurcated end 12 -ofthe yoke member 13 so that member 13 may be swung upwardly or downwardly on the pivot. The support will be xed on the sleeve so that the yoke, when moved upwardly, will 'pass into the plane of wheel 5 .and straddle a spoke 14 of the Wheel. i A recess 15 is formed at a sultalble point Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 242,337.

to the support andthereby prevent rotation of the steering wheel.V A

plug 18 closes the opposite end of aperture 17 and between the plug and the inner end locking the yoke member inV Patented Apr. 15, 191e.

of the bolt is spring 19 which tends to force the bolt outl of aperture 1T. A notch or annular groove 20 1s formed near the inner end of the bolt to4 provide a shoulder 21 uponwhich the lower portion. of key 22 may be engaged to elevate the bolt'and withdraw it from recess 15 for unlocking the deyice and releasing the wheel. Key 22 fits into a. lock 23 of selected design and which, of course, Awill be diHerent for each lock to avoid duplicates. lVhen the yoke is in its locked position, the bolt 16 and its spring 19 and plug 18 are substantially concealed and protected against tampering between the support 1 and the spoke 14.

It will be noted that the outer end of the bolt is in contactI with the periphery of 4the rounded portion of the support except under the influence of the spring and is held tight at any position to which it may be moved. In practice the yoke member will be moved down to the position shown in Fig. 3 where it will ybe out of the way and from which position it can be readily moved into its active position and as soon as the bolt registers with recess 15 spring` 19 instantly forces it into the recess and locks the wheel tothe sleeve. The key is used only t0 unlock the device.

I contemplate adapting 'the invention to various makes and styles of automobiles and hence shall require various forms of means for securing the support for the yoke member to the steering post of the machine. The clamp illustrated in the drawings is one such means and will suilice for a large number of different makes of machines.

What I claim is:

Ina. locking device for automobiles, the combination with a steering wheel, steering having a rounded free end with a recess in its upper surface, a yoke` pivotally mountedon the support and adapted to be swung upwardly on its pivot to cause it to embrace one of the spokes of the steering wheel, :i spring pressed bolt reciproably mounted in tlie yoke in frictional engagement with and adapted to slide on the rounded face of the .support as the yoke is swung upwardly or downwardly and. to .seat within the said recess when then yoke is in its up-l permost position embracing the spoke with the bolt positioned endwise between the support and spoke to prevent tampering, and a lock and ke7 draw the bolt from the recess to permit the yoke to be swung downwardly on its pivot.

in the yoke adapted to with` In witness whereof 'I have hereunto signed 20 my name this 21st day of June, 1918.

' FRANK KIMBLE. 

